New Zealand
Judge Tosses New Zealand Police Reclassification of Assault Weapons
New Zealand Herald
3 March 2010
A High Court decision has set back efforts by police to impose greater controls on a wider range of firearms. The court has ruled against a move by police to reclassify many "sporting configuration" firearms as military-style semi-automatics (MSSAs). Police spent $60,000 advertising the changes. Owners would have had to undergo more stringent vetting, register each affected weapon and have a more expensive gun safe. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Problematic Bushmaster Rifle Posed Safety Risk for NZ Police, Public
New Zealand Herald
21 February 2010
An internal police report warned of potential "public safety" dangers stemming from its Bushmaster rifle - a month after innocent teenager Halatau Naitoko was accidentally shot dead on an Auckland motorway. Inquiries by the Herald on Sunday have also found that there has been no formal review of the training or operational use by police of the weapon since it was introduced in 2005. Naitoko, 17, was killed by a police officer... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Threat Prompts NZ Police to Warn Farmers Against Armed Vigilantism
New Zealand Press Association
26 January 2010
A Whangarei firearms incident has prompted a warning from police that people should not take the law into their own hands. A 60-year-old Whangarei man has been charged over allegedly pointing a firearm at a group of youths littering his lawn. Sergeant Graeme Povey told the Northern Advocate five youths were walking along Riverside Drive last week when one of them threw a drink can on to the lawn of a house. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Union Boss Blames 'Nostalgia' for Opposition to Armed Cops
New Zealand Herald, Editorial
25 January 2010
The Police Association did not welcome the result of a poll we published recently. It found a clear majority, 65 per cent, of 2296 sampled Herald readers did not want the police to routinely carry firearms. They were content with current practice that uses specially armed squads to deal with incidents involving guns. The association president, Greg O'Connor, said this "nostalgic" view was now unrealistic. He was referring to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
North Korea,New Zealand,Thailand,Kazakhstan,Iran
Complex International Web Entangles Weapon Cargo Seized In Thailand
Associated Press
22 January 2010
SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan - The trail of the plane seized in Thailand last month for reportedly smuggling North Korean weapons to Iran leads back to a small air freight company housed near an old Soviet airfield on the edge of the Kazakh steppe. The aging Russian plane's odyssey took it through a web of companies, financiers and air cargo carriers with addresses stretching from New York through the Persian Gulf to New Zealand, an Associated... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Two-thirds Oppose New Zealand Police Routinely Carrying Guns - Poll
New Zealand Herald
13 January 2010
Almost two thirds of people do not want police carrying guns on general duties, saying it is enough to have the armed offenders squad. In a Herald survey, 31 per cent of the 2296 respondents supported allowing all police to carry firearms at all times. But 65 per cent believed only the armed offenders squad should carry guns, showing strong support for current police practice. Only 1.2 per cent of those polled... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
45 'High-powered' Guns Seized by NZ Police, but 'Public Safety Not at Risk'
New Zealand Press Association
31 December 2009
Police say the public were not in any danger when a huge arsenal of weapons and ammunition was discovered in South Auckland. About 45 high-powered rifles and shotguns were found at an Otahuhu property after police were called to a domestic incident about 9.30pm Wednesday. Bags of live ammunition of compatible types and calibres were also found. The firearms were correctly secured and public safety was not at risk,... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Small New Zealand Ammo Maker Can Produce 60 Million Rounds a Year
Defense News (USA), Web page
30 November 2009
WELLINGTON -- There is an antique aspect to New Zealand's tiny Ordnance Developments Ltd. (ODL), including machinery far older than those who operate it. However, ODL's status in the world of small-arms ammunition makers belies its small size. "We're probably in the top five in the world in terms of our capability, which is rather extensive," said John Quigley, ODL's marketing manager. The company manufactures... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Locals Fear Being Shot as Suburban Safari Park Opens in New Zealand
Sunday Star Times (New Zealand)
25 October 2009
Drive 10 minutes over the hill from Upper Hutt and you emerge in Whitemans Valley, a pleasant little settlement of lifestyle blocks and farms, with pine forests dotted over the surrounding hills. It's an idyllic setting, but all is not well in paradise, as evidenced by the home-made billboard at one gate: "Real men 'hunt' fenced deer -- yeah right". The subject of signwriter Andrew Walker's sarcasm is a safari park on his neighbour's... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Owner Shot, Killed His Friend in Domestic Argument After Drinking
New Zealand Herald
13 October 2009
As a friend barged into Alan Gundry's home and threatened his partner and dinner guests, the pig-hunter grabbed his rifle and said he'd had enough, a murder trial was told yesterday. Moments later Orewa man Gene Patrick Atkins was dead, shot in the abdomen and liver. The Crown alleges Gundry, 30, murdered Mr Atkins, 28, on January 12 at Gundry's Rodney home. The shooting happened after Mr Atkins fought with a guest as he... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Armed Police Out in Force as Fake Guns Cause Chaos in New Zealand
New Zealand Herald
20 September 2009
Armed officers and dog handlers swarmed over two Auckland suburbs yesterday as fake firearms triggered two huge police operations. An armed offenders unit and dog handlers were among up to 20 officers sent to the first callout, which occurred in Glen Innes about 7am. Inspector Earle McIntosh said police received reports that a man had got into a fight with fellow guests at an all-night party and threatened them with a shotgun.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Only 30 Percent of Routinely Unarmed NZ Police to Get Handgun Training
Dominion Post (Wellington)
9 September 2009
Two out of five city police officers will be excluded from firearms training in the latest move to cut costs, despite armed police being called upon more than ever. The Police Association says the money-saving plans that will result in some frontline officers being unable to use a firearm will put staff and public lives at risk as police deal with increasing violence. But police management say the proposals will mean those... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Police Remain Unarmed, Fewer to Get Firearm Training in New Zealand
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
8 September 2009
Front line police say officers who lack firearms training may be putting their lives at risk. The Police Association said the Auckland City police district was now exempting strategic traffic unit (STU) staff and other front line staff in the central business district from firearms training. The association said those staff were the most likely to be issued with firearms for deployment on armed cordons. "The Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Acquaintance Dispute Turns Fatal in New Zealand Timber Town Shooting
New Zealand Herald
1 September 2009
One of Janine West's last memories of partner Layden Rameka is of him trying to protect his family moments before he was shot dead. Mr Rameka, 35, was killed on Sunday afternoon in the Hawkes Bay village of Waikoau -- a sleepy former forestry settlement 40km northwest of Napier. His alleged killer -- Wilson Apatu, 39 -- is in custody. Ms West, 32, was in the sitting room with two of her sons -- Zepplin, 8, and Taylor, 1... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licence Revoked, NZ Gun Owner Vows to 'Go Out in Hail of Bullets,' Kills 1
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
31 August 2009
The family of the man accused of the fatal shooting in northern Hawkes Bay has apologised for what happened. Wilson Neil Apatu appeared in court today charged with the murder of Layden Rameka and the attempted murder of eight-year-old son Zepplen-Solly, in the shooting near Tutira yesterday afternoon. The 39-year-old is also charged with aggravated robbery. Apatu entered no plea to the charges and will reappear in court... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed Gun Collector Sold 121 Handguns, Machine Guns to NZ Gangs
New Zealand Herald
29 August 2009
The last act in laying bare John Noel Mabey's big lie occurred on Tuesday but the danger to the public will go on for years. After two years, Mabey, 45, finally admitted in the Thames District Court that the burglary in which he claimed his entire collection of 121 restricted firearms (pistols, machine guns and military-style semi-automatics) was stolen, was an elaborate fake. Not that anyone had believed him for long.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Owners Up In Arms Over NZ Police Assault Rifle Licence Changes
New Zealand Press Association
17 August 2009
Gun owners remain angry at police changes to licensing rules over military-style semi-automatic weapons, with some taking official steps to try to stop them. One has applied for a judicial review of the police decision, while a group has complained to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). Gun owners have been told that if they own a semi-automatic firearm with a "military pattern, free-standing pistol grip",... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Owners Riled by NZ Police Campaign to Register Military-style Rifles
Timaru Herald
15 August 2009
A 'Check Your Stock' campaign by police is riling licensed firearm owners, who say police hierarchy are "wrongfully" trying to do the job of a High Court judge. A new group called the National Shooters Association has complained to the Independent Police Complaints Authority since the $60,000 campaign was launched by the New Zealand Police. Gun owners have been told that if they own a semi-automatic firearm with a 'military... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Makers Alter Assault Weapons to Avoid Law, NZ Police Draw Line
TV3 News (Auckland)
12 August 2009
Thousands of licensed gun owners may soon have to buy an expensive new safe to store their weapons, or get rid of them. Police have broadened the definition of 'military style semi-automatic weapons', but the gun lobby says police have acted simply because they do not like the look of the new style of weapons. With more of the military style semi-automatics coming on to the market, police have decided to make it harder... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Alone with United States in Rejecting Firearm Registration
Rotorua Daily Post (New Zealand)
3 August 2009
More than 6400 people in Rotorua hold a licence to own firearms. Latest figures, released to The Daily Post, show that by May this year, 6466 people -- or about one in every ten locals in the Rotorua area -- hold a firearms licence. Officially, this is an increase of 1520 from 2007. But Rotorua District Arms Officer Mike Keefe said he has not issued that many new licences in that 17-month period and there were... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensing Owners Not Enough: New Zealand Should Also Register Guns
Marlborough Express (New Zealand), Editorial
7 July 2009
The cache of weapons found at the home of gunman Jan Molenaar and other elements of the Napier seige raise questions about New Zealanders and firearms. The man who killed a policeman and wounded two others and a civilian had 18 fully loaded guns. Police found more than 100 spent cartridges, 2000 bullets and home made explosive devices. His firearm licence had expired in 2002 and three of the guns had been stolen. Two of... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Registration of All Guns Needed, Says Senior New Zealand Arms Officer
Bay of Plenty Times (Tauranga)
4 July 2009
The district arms officer says without firearms being registered in New Zealand there is no real control over them. Paul McLennan, who has been in the role 27 years, said registration of individual firearms -- scrapped in New Zealand in 1983 -- once kept holders of firearm licences accountable and responsible for their weapons. It also helped identify stolen firearms. Today, firearms are not registered and there is no restriction... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Gambles With Liberal Gun Laws, 10-year Firearm Licences
New Zealand Herald
1 July 2009
A wheelchair-bound gunman's fitness to hold a firearms licence is being investigated, but his family say he was a good person and loving father who overcame adversity. Shayne Sime, 42, was shot dead by police on Sunday after firing more than 100 rounds from his Christchurch home, wounding a policeman and a neighbour and hitting buildings including a preschool in surrounding streets. Yesterday his family said: "We do wish... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Paraplegic Licensed Gun Owner Dies in New Zealand Police Shoot-out
New Zealand Press Association
30 June 2009
Police are to investigate the circumstances in which paraplegic gunman Shayne Sime, killed in a shoot-out with police in Christchurch last night, obtained his firearms licence. Detective Superintendent Brett Kane said Mr Sime had been licensed since 2006 to own sporting shotguns and rifles. He had a criminal history but his last conviction was in 1990 and most of his convictions were for "alcohol-related offending", Mr... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Club Mates: Dead Shooter 'Just Like Anyone Else - He Liked Guns'
New Zealand Herald
30 June 2009
A gun club that helped hone the capabilities of a disabled gunman shot dead by police says it could not have foreseen such a tragic event. Wheelchair-bound Shayne Richard Sime, 42, was killed by members of the armed offenders squad at his Christchurch home on Sunday night after firing more than 100 rounds, wounding an AOS member and a neighbour, and damaging homes in the area that had to be evacuated. The injured AOS member... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Dead New Zealand Gunman Had Firearm Licence, Despite History
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
29 June 2009
The 42-year-old paraplegic man killed during a shoot-out with police in the Christchurch suburb of Burnside was a licensed firearms holder. Shayne Sime's body was removed from the scene this afternoon but police caution their investigation is likely to be lengthy. A post mortem on Mr Sime will start this evening and continue into tomorrow. Detective Superintendent Brett Kane said that Mr Sime had been a licensed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Oceania, United Nations, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
United Nations Gun Chief Says Pacific Has Illicit Small Arms Problem
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave), Audio
25 June 2009
The United Nations is working to halt the daily toll of one-thousand people around the world killed by small arms. The job of halting the toll taken by small illegal weapons has now been placed in the hands of United Nations Ambassador, Pablo Macedo. Ambassador Macedo is Chair Designate for next year's United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons. Speaker: United Nations Ambassador, Pablo Macedo... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Better Control of Internet Gun Sales 'Good Place to Start' for New Zealand
Otago Daily Times (New Zealand), Editorial
16 May 2009
Gun laws in New Zealand have for decades been a moving target -- and an armour-plated one at that. The protection comes both from the complexity of the law, and associated issues of cultural and social import, but also through the inability of our politicians to act decisively on the matter. Resolve in this respect has been weakened by there being no consistent mandate to move radically in any particular direction. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Two Governments Shelved NZ Firearm Registry Due to Pro-gun Lobbying
Dominion Post (Wellington)
15 May 2009
An independent gun registry was in the process of being set up a decade ago, but it was quietly shelved after intensive lobbying by pro-gun groups. The registry was a key recommendation of the Thorp Report, which stemmed from a year-long review of gun laws by retired High Court justice Sir Thomas Thorp in 1996. The report also recommended the government buy back military-style semi-automatics from owners followed by an... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Rethink on New Zealand Gun Licensing, Registration Long Overdue
New Zealand Herald, Editorial
15 May 2009
Changes to gun laws are usually the product of tragedy. The last significant amendment to the law occurred after David Gray killed 13 people at Aramoana in 1990, and Australia's legislation was spurred by the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in which 35 died. Now, the Napier siege sparked by Jan Molenaar's shooting of Senior Constable Len Snee should be the catalyst for further change. Two disturbing facts have emerged. The first is... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Checks Strict in Taranaki, Shooters Unlikely to 'Fall Through Cracks'
Taranaki Daily News
15 May 2009
Tough licensing regulations make getting your hands on a military-style semi-automatic rifle incredibly difficult unless you are a criminal. In which case, says New Plymouth gun dealer and owner of Ski and Sports Centre Jeff Horn, you live outside the law and are free to acquire one without going through the normal strict licensing procedures. Jan Molenaar shot and killed Senior Constable Len Snee and wounded two other... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Despite Shootings, Most Oppose Arming New Zealand Police Force
Dominion Post (Wellington)
15 May 2009
Three police officers have been killed in less than a year. But, unlike their overseas counterparts, our police do not routinely carry guns. Are they safe enough? Is it time to arm them? What more could we have done to protect our police, asked Police Commissioner Howard Broad as he stood before the mourners at Napier's Municipal Theatre this week. It was, he said, the natural question to ask. He was there to deliver a... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Time to Tighten Up Gun Control, Register Firearms in New Zealand
Nelson Mail (New Zealand), Editorial
13 May 2009
There are many questions raised by the Napier siege and some might never be properly answered. However, setting aside the possible reasons why Jan Molenaar lapsed into a murderous rage and why the danger signs weren't noticed or acted on, the fact that he managed to accumulate such a weapons collection without a licence to do so must give pause to even the most ardent members of the pro-firearms lobby. He didn't just have... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
PM Has No Plans to Take 'Negative Step,' Arm New Zealand Police
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
13 May 2009
A fast roll-out of Taser stun guns for police is expected in the upcoming budget, but there are no plans to fully arm the force, Prime Minister John Key said after slain policeman Len Snee's funeral in Napier today. Mr Key attended the funeral of Mr Snee who was gunned down by Jan Molenaar during a routine cannabis operation at Molenaar's Chaucer Road home on Napier Hill last Thursday. The large crowd who gathered at the... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police, Gun Dealer Dismiss Gun Control, Urge Talk with Gun Owners
Timaru Herald (New Zealand) / NZPA
13 May 2009
South Canterbury police and licensed Timaru arms dealers are advising people not to jump to conclusions over firearms laws after Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's 50-hour siege. The arsenal of weapons found at Molenaar's house last week had sparked concerns about firearms laws and unlicensed owners. Gun safety advocate Philip Alpers has said the police have "no idea" how many guns are in the hands of unlicensed owners and described... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand's Licensing-only Gun Control System a 'Dismal Failure'
Dominion Post (Wellington)
13 May 2009
In the wake of the Aramoana and Port Arthur massacres, retired High Court judge Sir Thomas Thorp was commissioned to review New Zealand's gun laws. The review took a year and cost $1 million. It recommended sweeping changes, including the registration of all firearms, the creation of an independent firearms registry and an eminently sensible ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles. As The Evening Post observed at the time, "if... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Heeding NZ Gun Law Report Could Have Avoided Shooting of 3 Police?
Dominion Post (Wellington)
13 May 2009
The author of a major gun law review is frustrated his recommendations, which may have prevented Jan Molenaar's deadly shooting spree, are gathering dust 12 years after being written. Sir Thomas Thorp was appointed by the National government in 1996 to review firearm ownership in the wake of the Aramoana massacre, and similar tragedies in Australia and Scotland. His recommendations included a government buyback and banning... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Questions Remain on 50,000 Non-complying NZ Gun Owners, Say Police
New Zealand Herald
12 May 2009
Thousands of firearms remain potentially unaccounted for despite a police campaign for lifetime gun licence owners to renew or hand weapons in. Police national manager operations Tony McLeod said nearly 50,000 people had not responded by the end of a campaign targeting lifetime gun licence holders to renew or surrender their weapons in 2002. The Government scrapped the lifetime licences in 1992 for 10-year licences after... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Police Have 'Lost Control' of Guns in New Zealand, Registration Needed
TV3 News / NZPA
12 May 2009
Police have "no idea" how many guns are in the hands of unlicensed owners, an expert on gun safety says. The arsenal of weapons found at Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's house following a 50-hour siege last week sparked concerns about firearms laws in New Zealand. Molenaar shot and killed Senior Constable Len Snee and wounded two other officers and a civilian when police conducted a drug search at his home last Thursday. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Have Lost Track of Lapsed Gun Owners and Their Weapons
ABC News (Australia)
12 May 2009
ASHLEY HALL: Police in New Zealand admit they have no idea how many gun owners with lapsed licenses there are in the country who still have their weapons. It's been revealed that the gunman who shot dead one policeman and wounded two officers and a neighbour last week in Napier had 18 weapons inside his house and a massive stockpile of ammunition, and the former soldier also didn't have a current firearms license. New Zealand... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Too Late to Find Unregistered Guns in New Zealand, Says MP, Ex-Cop
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
11 May 2009
There are more than a million guns in New Zealand and it is too late to try to find all the unregistered weapons, an MP said yesterday. Chester Borrows, MP for Wanganui and a former police officer, said that for many years shotguns did not have to be registered. "You can do an operation in a small town and locate several sawn off shotguns or firearms in the period of a week or two, and find that none of them are registered,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
After 30 Years of Untracked Gun Sales, New Zealand Loses Control
TV3 News (New Zealand)
11 May 2009
The Prime Minister has hinted that gun legislation may be subject to future review following the Napier siege. Gun advocates say changes to gun laws are unnecessary, while gun control lobbyists say New Zealand is on a par with the United States. Almost 250,000 New Zealanders have a licence to own firearms, the vast majority of them sportsmen. Many fear another crackdown following the outrage in Napier. "There is... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Knee-Jerk Calls to Arm New Zealand Police 'Illogical and Impractical'
New Zealand Herald, Editorial
10 May 2009
Even as gunman Jan Molenaar continued to fire indiscriminately -- and the body of officer Len Snee lay helpless -- two common and disturbing threads of the New Zealand personality fabric were emerging. The Knee-Jerk and Know-All are characters who run roughshod over Common Sense. They trawl internet forums and radio talkback shows -- alleged "first-time callers" whose arguments are cliched and ill-judged. Within 12 hours... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Most New Zealand Crime Guns Stolen from Licensed Owners, Say Police
Press (Christchurch)
9 May 2009
Consideration of stricter gun laws following the death of a police officer in Napier would be premature, Police Minister Judith Collins says. There is one licensed firearm for every four people in New Zealand, but Collins said it was too soon to pin the blame for the death of Senior Constable Len Snee on gun control. "We need to wait for the situation to be resolved before assessing the facts on this tragic event," she... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Cop Killer 'Total Rambo, Gun Nut,' Reported Dead After 2-day Seige
Deutsche Presse-Agentur / AAP
8 May 2009
New Zealand's TV3 channel reported it had unconfirmed reports that the gunman suspected of killing a police officer a day earlier had committed suicide. It said ambulances had been seen going to the house where he had been holed up for two days, in the North island city of Napier. The man was named earlier as Jan Molenaar, 51, an ex-army reservist described by friends as a "total Rambo" and a "gun nut." Asked by... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Man Kills Police Officer, Wounds 3 with 'Automatic Rifle'
Associated Press
8 May 2009
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealand police opened fire from armored personnel carriers Friday so they could retrieve the body of a colleague killed outside a house by a gunman who has held authorities at bay for more than 30 hours. The siege closed down a section of the city of Napier for most of Thursday and all of Friday, with no immediate end in sight. Armed police have surrounded the house where former army reservist... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Double Murderer's Belief in 'Gun Rights' Keeps Him in New Zealand Jail
New Zealand Herald
3 April 2009
Double-murderer John Barlow has lost a chance of parole because of his "manipulative" personality and insistence on his right to own guns. The Parole Board refused to release Barlow after a psychological assessment described the 63-year-old as a controlling figure. The board said he also had a "completely inappropriate attitude to guns". But Barlow's wife Angela believes the decision is political and that her husband... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Dealer Sold $2100 'Elite' Legal Airgun to Accused Cop Killers
New Zealand Herald
18 March 2009
Undercover officer Sgt Don Wilkinson said he was "running, running" after a police lookout told him to get away from the place where he and a colleague had been planting a tracking device, a court heard today. Sgt Wilkinson was killed and his colleague shot three times while planting the device on a car in South Auckland on September 11 last year. Iain Lindsay Clegg, 35 and John Ward Skinner, 37 have been jointly accused... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Australian Experience Makes Case for Gun Law Reform in New Zealand
Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand; Vol. 15 No. 2, p. 24
1 March 2009
The gun death rates in New Zealand from suicide and homicide are considerably higher than in Australia. In 2005, these gun death rates per 100,000 people were .91 in Australia (1,2,3) and 1.3 in New Zealand. (4) Are the higher death rates in New Zealand a result of your country's relatively relaxed taws in relation to gun ownership? Apart from exceptions such as pistols, military-style semi automatic firearms and restricted weapons, New... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Judge Lets 'Dumb,' Drinking NZ Gun Owner with Shotgun Keep Licence
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
18 February 2009
A 20-year-old with a passion for firearms found himself fixed firmly in the sights of the law today. Mt Maunganui plumber Zane Alexander Baird pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court to unlawfully possessing a firearm and breaching the local liquor ban. He stood to lose his firearm's licence and faced a maximum penalty of either four years in jail or a $5000 fine. Born and raised on a farm, hunting and shooting... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Police Hunt Down Owners of Expired Firearm Licences
New Zealand Press Association
16 February 2009
Owners of firearms could have their weapons seized, ordered to pay a fine or jailed if they let their firearms licence expire, police warn. A team of police staff based at Palmerston North are tracking owners of expired licences to interview them about where their weapons were. "There's no place to hide as the team uses every research technique available to them to track down licence holders including Facebook, internet... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Innocent Teenager Killed by Stray Police Bullet in New Zealand Shootout
3 News (New Zealand)
24 January 2009
It is a black day for New Zealand's police force. They have admitted this afternoon that the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) killed an innocent teenage father in yesterday's motorway shootout. Seventeen-year-old Halatau Naitoko, known as Tau, was shot in the chest as police attempted to stop a gun-toting offender who had just led them on a high-speed chase around Auckland. A post-mortem on his body revealed the police had made... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Collector Jailed for Selling 30 Handguns, Machine Guns to Criminals
New Zealand Herald
18 December 2008
A gun collector who sold restricted firearms on the black market has placed the community at "grave risk" and created the potential for "long-term tragic consequences", a judge says. Coromandel collector John Noel Mabey was yesterday sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of selling pistols, military-style semi-automatic firearms, and restricted weapons to unlicensed people. The 30 guns Mabey... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed Gun Collector Jailed for Selling 30 Firearms to NZ Criminals
TVNZ One News / NZPA
17 December 2008
A Coromandel man who illegally sold off his gun collection has been jailed for 21 months. In Hamilton District Court, Judge Phillip Connell said the actions of John Mabey had long reaching implications for public safety and posed a grave risk to the community, One News reported. Mabey was jailed after he sold his gun collection, including military-style weapons, to criminals. Police have found some of the firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed Collector 'Lost' 121 Guns, Armed NZ Gangs for Years to Come
New Zealand Herald
6 December 2008
Guns from a missing Coromandel collection have fallen into the wrong hands and created a black market legacy that will last for decades, say police and a gun control advocate. One of the guns among Hot Water Beach collector John Mabey's missing pistols, submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles has been identified as the weapon used in a fatal shooting. Mabey's guns disappeared in July last year, and police say eight of... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Armed New Zealand Cop Once Blew Hole in PM's Plane While Airborne
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
21 November 2008
A diplomatic protection squad police officer once shot a hole in the side of an airborne plane carrying former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, it has been revealed. The DPS guards the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, usually keeping a low profile. But the decision to completely surround incoming Prime Minister John Key on election night with a tight ring of officers has raised questions about its tactics. In... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Court Hears of Soldier's 'Thrill' at Stealing New Zealand Army Pistol
Manawatu Standard
12 November 2008
The man on trial for receiving and possessing a stolen army pistol was found guilty on both counts in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday. The jury took four hours to reach the verdict and Michael Bob Fiti, 28, was remanded in custody until sentencing on February 2. The six-day hearing was a retrial, after the last jury could not reach verdicts. He pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun found during... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Replica Glock Pistols Spark New Zealand Police Warning
Papakura Courier
5 November 2008
An upsurge in young people "mucking around" with replica guns has Papakura police worried someone will end up hurt or worse. Senior sergeant Mike McIlraith says police have had three callouts in the past week to youths brandishing weapons in public. The guns turned out to be replicas, he says, but police procedure is to assume they're real. In these callouts "it's prudent for us to take precautions by arming ourselves"... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Call for Restrictions on Airgun Ownership After Woman Killed
TV3 National News
24 October 2008
How dangerous are airguns? Police say they can easily kill people at short range, and they are worried at how easily they can be bought -- owners do not even need a firearms licence. The police are not saying what sort of airgun the shot Whangarei woman was armed with, but airguns now range from the benign BB gun to gas-compressed ones with the power to kill. And it was a single shot from an airgun that killed police officer... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Law Will Ban Deadly Large-calibre Airguns in New Zealand - Police
New Zealand Press Association
12 October 2008
Police are becoming increasingly worried about the number of powerful, large-calibre air rifles being brought into the country. The guns can be sold without a licence to people over 18 and at short range could easily kill a person. The guns are marketed in the United States as "serious hunting guns" and are powered by compressed air and charged from a scuba tank. They fire a heavy .50 calibre lead slug at about 600 feet... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Tighter New Zealand Gun Law Mooted in Wake of Airgun, Toy Gun Deaths
Otago Daily Times
9 October 2008
Police have warned parents not to be fooled into thinking airguns they give their children are toys. The warning came several weeks after an undercover police officer was shot dead in Auckland with a high-powered air rifle and as the government moved to tighten the law on airguns. Police national manager of firearms licensing and vetting, Inspector Joe Green, said up to 100,000 airguns were in the country which were replicas... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Dealer Shot Attacker, Claims Scared Retailers Shop for Advice
Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
5 October 2008
Frightened shopkeepers have turned to a gun store for advice about guns, pepper spray and even a bulletproof vest. The spate of requests follows the high-profile murder of Manurewa liquor store owner Navtej Singh and Friday's stabbing of 55-year-old Auckland lotto shop owner Shashikat Premar. He is in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital. The incident happened on the day police told retailers to use common sense when... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Finland, New Zealand, United States, Australia, Canada, France, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Austria, Israel, Brazil, Germany
Comparison of Key Handgun Restrictions in 14 Industrialised Countries
Economist
25 September 2008
Finland's government is introducing tougher regulations on handguns following a mass shooting at a school on Tuesday September 23rd, the second in under a year. The country had been among the most lenient in the world, allowing 15-year-olds to keep a handgun under parental supervision, requiring no medical or psychological tests and no minimum wait for those buying weapons. The gun-death rate (whether murder, accident or... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Police Road Spikes Stop New Zealand Gun Dealer Driving at 168kmh
Press (Christchurch)
24 September 2008
Road spikes were needed to stop a Christchurch gun-shop director in a high-speed, late-night police chase, a court has been told. Gun City director David Matthew Holden Tipple was yesterday fined $1250 by Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen Erber after he admitted reckless driving and failing to stop for police. He was disqualified for eight months. The judge said Tipple had picked up a car after returning from an... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Police Officer Shot Dead with Air Rifle in NZ Undercover Drug Operation
New Zealand Press Association
12 September 2008
Police are to review the firearms laws after it was revealed the gun suspected of killing a police officer yesterday can be bought over the counter or on the internet by anyone over the age of 18. Sergeant Don Wilkinson, 46, is believed to have been shot dead by a powerful, gas operated, rifle which shoots a pellet similar in size to a conventional .22 calibre rifle round. A colleague is in a comfortable condition in hospital... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Airgun Ban May Not Have Prevented New Zealand Policeman Being Killed
New Zealand Press Association
12 September 2008
A restriction on airguns similar to the one which killed undercover policeman Don Wilkinson may not have saved the officer, police said today. Legislation which has been before Parliament for three years would have meant the type of airgun used to kill Mr Wilkinson in Mangere, South Auckland, yesterday could only be sold to people with a firearms licence. But Superintendent Ted Cox of Counties Manukau police doubted the... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Gun Seller Banned After Unrecorded Rifle Sale to New Zealand Reporter
Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
17 August 2008
A TradeMe user has been banned from the site in the fallout from last weekend's Sunday Star-Times investigation into the ease of buying a gun online. Last week the paper bought a .22 rifle from a private seller through online auction site TradeMe with less than $100 cash, no licence and on the first attempt. The privately listed Remington bolt action rifle, similar to the one used to kill South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Unregulated Gun Sales Common, Say New Zealand Firearm Dealers
Timaru Herald
12 August 2008
Unregulated, internet firearms dealing is a concern for licensed Timaru retailers. Dealers said private gun owners trading in firearms did not have annual checks for dealers licences, the requirement to record seller and buyer details or to store guns safely. The retailers believed unregistered internet traders to be more likely to sell to someone without a firearms license. The Timaru dealers all said legitimate... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Handguns, Anti-aircraft Gun Stolen from New Zealand Dealer's Shipment
New Zealand Press Association
12 August 2008
Famous historic weaponry was among firearms stolen during shipment to a Christchurch gun dealer last month, the city's District Court was told today. Kieran Allan Griffin, 18, storeman, admitted theft by failing to account for the package in transit. He was told by Judge Graham Noble that the offending showed "predetermination and planning" and he suspected it was likely to have been going on for some time. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
So Easy to Buy a Gun in New Zealand, No Licence, No Questions Asked
Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
10 August 2008
It takes just a few minutes and not much cash to buy a gun on the internet. No questions asked, no licence required. After the murder of liquor store owner Navtej Singh, the Sunday Star-Times decided to investigate how easy it was to buy the same sort of rifle that killed him. All we needed was a computer. We found dozens of guns for sale on TradeMe from gold-plated AK-47s to clapped out old rifles. While some... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed Machine Gun Collector Admits Selling 30 of 130 'Lost' Firearms
New Zealand Herald
22 July 2008
A man who claimed 130 guns, including automatic rifles and sub-machine guns, had been stolen from his home has pleaded guilty to illegally selling 30 of them. John Noel Mabey, 43, told police that the guns had been stolen from his Hot Water Beach home in a burglary in July last year. Police charged Mabey with giving a false statement to police. Only nine of the guns have been found so far. Mabey will reappear in... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Routine Arming of Police Would Be Big Step, Says New Zealand PM
Radio New Zealand
17 June 2008
Arming police patrols as a matter of routine would be a significant development for New Zealand, says Prime Minister Helen Clark. A proposal for armed patrols in Auckland has been given extra impetus after the fatal shooting of a Manurewa liquor store owner on 7 June. The proposal could result in officers carrying Glock pistols and Bushmaster rifles. Miss Clark says police are not advocating that street patrols be routinely... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Plan for Routine NZ Police Patrol to Carry Guns 'Hard to Accept' - MP
New Zealand Herald / NewsTalk ZB
15 June 2008
New Zealand First MP Ron Mark is at a loss to understand plans for permanently armed units on the streets of South Auckland. The Police Commissioner will consider a proposed six-month trial of the 24-hour patrols in August. Police say the idea comes from a review of their effectiveness at call-outs where firearms are involved. Officers would be equipped with shotguns, Glock pistols and medium-range Taser stun guns. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Unarmed Cops Remain 'Cornerstone of New Zealand Policing Model'
TVNZ One News
14 June 2008
Armed police units may be patrolling some of New Zealand's most dangerous streets by the middle of next year. A spate of violent crime has forced police to reconsider its policy of being generally unarmed. Designed to stop people in their tracks, police are considering using tasers and increasing the use of existing firearms to hit back at criminals on high risk Auckland streets. Police have been looking at alternative... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Fearful New Zealand Shop Owners Push for Guns After Robbery Killing
ABC News (Australia)
10 June 2008
The death of an Indian shop owner during an armed robbery in Auckland has led to a call for shop owners to carry guns. Thirty-year-old father of three Navtej Sing had his hands in the air when he was shot by one of three men robbing his South Auckland shop. He died yesterday in hospital. Gang violence has escalated in the area and Indian shop owners say they are an easy target, and some want to be allowed to have... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Big Jump in Number of Newcomers Seeking Gun Licence in New Zealand
New Zealand Herald
29 May 2008
Aspiring Asian gun-owners, growing numbers of recreational hunters and the rise of the lifestyle block are being credited for an increase in the number of people seeking gun licences. A memo to police shows the number of first-time applicants for firearms licences almost doubled in six years, from 4654 in 2001 to 8370 last year. Mike Spray of the Mountain Safety Council -- which runs firearms training and lectures for licensees... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Police Choose US-made Assault Rifles as Weapon of Choice
New Zealand Herald
26 May 2008
Combat rifles are the weapons of choice for police dealing with situations involving firearms. Police say Bushmaster rifles, already used by armed offenders squad members, have greater accuracy than the Glock pistols now used. Acting Assistant Commissioner Gavin Jones said the Glock pistol would still be carried, but the Bushmaster would be the preferred weapon for armed incidents. ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Combat Rifle Becomes Preferred Weapon for New Zealand Police Callouts
Radio New Zealand
24 May 2008
Police officers are more likely to use combat rifles in dealing with armed offenders instead of their traditional sidearms, under new training policies. The police say Bushmaster rifles, which are already used by members of Armed Offenders Squads, have greater accuracy than the Glock pistols they use at present. From July, nationwide training will ensure all officers are competent in using the rifle. The Acting... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Glock Pistols Go Missing After Being Couriered to Police Armoury
New Zealand Herald
8 March 2008
Two police pistols have gone missing while being couriered from north of Auckland to Wellington. The police-issue Glock pistols -- sent from Warkworth station in December -- have not yet reached the police armoury in Wellington. "We can't jump to conclusions here. All we can really say is they are missing," said Inspector Tom Ireland, police operations and projects manager. "Whether they have been misplaced or... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Police Say Black Market for Guns is 'Miniscule, Not a Problem'
NewsTalkZB (Auckland)
31 January 2008
Police say many illegal firearms are being rented or borrowed from secret stockpiles but they believe the black market for guns is miniscule and not a problem. Two men have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm following Tuesday night's gun fight which broke out when a gang of armed youths turned up to a tinny house on Othello Drive, in the Auckland suburb of Flat Bush. Another two men are recovering in hospital from... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealanders' Growing Interest in Guns and Shooting 'Healthy,' Say Police
Dominion Post (Wellington)
16 January 2008
More New Zealanders are arming themselves with firearms licences for sport, recreation and pest control, showing what police believe is a healthy attitude toward gun use. Police figures issued to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act show that about 16,000 people got firearms licences for the first time in the past two years -- up from 5320 in 2002. Police national manager of firearms licensing and vetting... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed Gun Collector Ran Black Market Gun Trade, Say NZ Police
TVNZ News
19 December 2007
A Coromandel gun collector is to stand trial for allegedly running a black market gun operation. John Mabey claimed more than 120 weapons were stolen from his Coromandel home. He says he was burgled in July and burglars took 113 pistols, a couple of semi-automatic rifles and half a dozen machine guns. But police investigating the break-in suspected a scam. In a transcript of a police interview, a detective tells... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Gun Dealer Charged Over Fight with Airport Customs Officer
Sunday News (New Zealand)
16 December 2007
New Zealand's biggest firearms dealer has been charged with assaulting a Customs officer after a fracas at Auckland International Airport. Christchurch gun shop owner David Tipple was involved in the altercation in July, after his laptop was seized by Customs officials as he was returning from a business trip in Europe. Police allege he assaulted the officer while trying to get the computer back. But Tipple last... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Another Glock Pistol Turns Up from NZ Firearm Collector's 121 'Stolen' Guns
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
4 December 2007
Police say they have recovered another pistol from a large collection of guns allegedly sold by a Coromandel collector on the black market. The Glock automatic pistol was found in a bag by a man who stopped his car on State Highway 25, near Thames on Friday. A sawn-off shotgun was found nearby. "Operation Might" head Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Nicholls said the pistol was one of 121 restricted weapons police allege... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Navy Officer, Licensed Collector 'Conspired to Sell' Stolen Navy Guns
Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
4 November 2007
A senior Navy officer has been charged with conspiring to sell two military style semi-automatic rifles to undercover police. The man's home was raided in December as part of a major police operation which involved the seizure of at least 800 weapons from collectors and dealers in the Waikato and Auckland. More than 140 items were seized from the man's house. Most were firearms and ammunition he was licensed to... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Raids on Gun Collectors Throw Spotlight on Troubled Fraternity
Waikato Times
20 October 2007
A Hamilton gun enthusiast strokes the handle of his Smith and Wesson 44 calibre pistol. The gun looks just like something out of an old cowboy film and dates to the pre-1900 American wild west days. How many hands have held this gun over all those years? Images of cowboys -- maybe even gunfighters -- come to mind. He passes it to the Waikato Times reporter to hold before carefully placing it back in its sturdy lockup -- an ex-bank safe.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
116 Handguns, Machine Guns Still Missing in 'Theft' from Licensed Collector
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
18 October 2007
Most of the large arsenal of weapons missing from a Coromandel gun collector's safe have still not been found. Police said yesterday no one offered to return the guns under an amnesty that would have allowed them to do so without being charged. They believe the guns are still in the hands of criminals. Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Nicholls of Hamilton said it was not known if any of the weapons recovered during... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Dealer Claims Illegal Guns 'From Offshore,' Not From Legit Owners
NZCity / NewsTalk ZB
9 October 2007
A gun dealer is adamant the legitimate firearms community is staying well away from the black market trade. Police found an automatic pistol, ammunition, drugs and a syringe when they arrested a man at a Hamilton motel, raising further concerns about the link between the drugs trade and illegal firearms. South Island gun dealer Rod Woods says he shares the concerns of police but he says the guns are being imported from... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Handgun Seized in NZ Drug Bust May Be One of 121 Guns Lost by Collector
Waikato Times (Hamilton)
9 October 2007
A gun found on a man arrested at a Hamilton motel could be linked to a collection from a Hot Water Beach property. The man, 29, was arrested at an Ulster St motel by the Armed Offender Squad on Sunday morning. Police said they found an automatic pistol, ammunition, methamphetamine and several syringes at the motel. The man appeared in the Hamilton District Court yesterday charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed NZ Gun Collector Denies Lying to Police in 'Theft' of 121 Firearms
New Zealand Herald
8 October 2007
Concerns about guns being sold on the black market ending up in criminal hands have been reinforced after the armed offenders squad found an automatic pistol, ammunition and methamphetamine in a motel unit. Police arrested a 29 year-old man at the Hamilton Hotel at about 1.30am this morning. The man is a known associate of a fugitive arrested last month in Auckland who was found with two pistols -- a Glock and a Beretta.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Police Raids on Licensed Gun Collectors Discover 1 in 5 Guns 'Illegal'
New Zealand Herald
5 October 2007
As police try to track up to 120 high-powered, military style weapons which vanished from a Coromandel property, they are reluctantly preparing to give back 200 similar firearms and 600,000 rounds of ammunition to their owner. This is amid increasing concerns among Waikato police about the number of illegal weapons on the black market, known to be falling into the hands of criminals and gangsters. Police seized about 230... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed NZ Gun Collector 'Illegally Sold' 121 Pistols, Machine Guns to Crims
New Zealand Press Association
2 October 2007
A Coromandel gun collector was remanded on bail after appearing in court today on charges of possessing and supplying weapons and making a false complaint. John Noel Mabey, 43, told police last month that over 100 weapons, including pistols, machine guns and an inoperable rocket launcher, were stolen from his Hot Water Beach home in July. Mabey's collectors licence was revoked in August. Police investigated and... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
New Zealand Man Made Mistake, Killed Himself With 'Unloaded' Hand Gun
Dominion Post (Wellington)
17 September 2007
Callan Hogg thought a semi-automatic pistol was unloaded when he shot himself in the head in front of a friend, the Coroners Court has heard. The shooting happened about 6.30am at a Palm Ave, Lyall Bay, Wellington, property on May 14, 2006. Coroner Gerry Evans ruled that Mr Hogg died by the single self-inflicted gunshot wound, but stressed the 29-year-old did not intend to take his own life. Friend Ricky Popple,... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Collector Charged Over 'Theft' of 121 Handguns, Submachine Guns
News City / NewsTalkZB
13 September 2007
A Coromandel Peninsula gun collector who reported more than 120 guns had been stolen from his home near Hot Water Beach has been charged with making a false statement to police. The weapons include 113 pistols, two military style semi-automatic rifles and six submachine guns. The collector has been arrested, and is also facing firearms charges, after what police describe as extensive enquiries with the assistance of forensic... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Licensed NZ Gun Collector, Porn Baron's Trial Features Pistols, Dead Sheep
Dominion Post (Wellington)
3 September 2007
Porn baron and Auckland mayoral candidate Steve Crow is to go to trial on firearms charges, after a judge refused to guarantee he would be let off without a conviction. The 50-year-old adult entertainment businessman allegedly fired two pistols while visiting a farm at Whenuapai, West Auckland, in August last year. He was arrested three days before last year's Boobs on Bikes parade through Auckland City to promote his upcoming... ( gunpolicy.org )
Cook Islands, New Zealand
Exiled 19yr-old New Zealander Shot, Injured 3 on Cook Islands Atoll
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
3 August 2007
Cook Islands police holding a former Aucklander who shot three locals on the remote atoll of Pukapuka in the northern Cooks have not disclosed his motives. The man, 19, sent out to Rarotonga as a teenager, shot Niua school principal Bob Tearetoa, his wife Ngatere Tearetoa, both from the Aitutaki community, and another man, Kiriti Mataora, Radio Niu FM reported. The man went on a shooting rampage in Pukapuka at 2am on Saturday,... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Shop Owner Ecstatic at Police Decision to Drop Shooting Charges
New Zealand Herald / NZPA
5 July 2007
An Auckland gunshop director is "ecstatic" over a decision by police not to pursue a charge against him of unlawful gun possession, bringing to an end a year-long ordeal. Greg Carvell shot an intruder in his Penrose gunshop in July last year as the man threatened to kill him and a fellow gunshop worker with a metre-long machete. The intruder, Ricky Beckham, survived the shooting and was jailed for two years and nine months.... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Another Man Visits New Zealand Gun Shop Asking to Be Shot Dead
TVNZ ONE News
2 July 2007
A knife-wielding intruder has been arrested after storming the same Auckland gun shop where a man was shot almost a year ago. Witnesses say the man was suicidal and wanted to be shot, but instead police pepper sprayed the intruder, and when that did not work, used a taser gun. Last year another man, Ricky Beckham, entered the store armed with a machete. He was shot in the stomach by gun store co-owner Greg Carvell. Beckham... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Father Shot Daughter in Head During Gun Safety Lesson for Son
New Zealand Press Association
27 June 2007
A Napier father who accidentally fired a .22-calibre slug into his seven-year-old daughter's skull was trying to scare his son from touching the firearm, Napier District Court was told today. The 30-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, was convicted of discharging a firearm causing injury and remanded until July 20 for sentencing by Judge Richard Watson. Police prosecutor Terry Singh said the man was at home... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
NZ Gun Collector Sues Police to Return His Licence, 700 Guns 'And My Life'
TVNZ News
21 June 2007
An Auckland gun collector is taking police to court for suspending his firearms licence and seizing 700 registered guns. Police say the armoury was taken after bugged phone conversations involving Waikato gang houses. But Martin Bath insists he has no gang connections and the seizure is hurting his business. If he had seen it in the movies he wouldn't believe it. A few rubber stunt props are all that's left of... ( gunpolicy.org )
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